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About Judy

As WP's managing editor, I edit review and preview articles, attempt to keep up with the frantic pace of Rainier's news posts, and keep our reviewers on deadline, which is akin to herding cats. When I have a moment to myself and don't have my nose in a book, I like to play action/RPG, adventure and platforming games.

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Russobit-M Announces 'East Front'

by Judy on Nov. 24, 2004 @ 10:22 a.m. PST

East Front is a high-tech 1st/ person 3d-shooter. The action takes place in the alternative universe where the fascist Germany won in the Second World War. A soldier of the German Resistance Karl Stolz turns out to be involved in the deadly play of mysterious powers and the stake is the control over the whole world. Read more for details ...

Second World War. As a result of an absurd accident that occurred in the occupied Norway, the Allies failed to sabotage the German nuclear program, which was successfully completed in spring 1943. This weapon of mass destruction was used in the Eastern Front, in particular, in Kurskaya Duga battle, and that completely changed the course of the war in flavor of the Third Reich. Consequently, in several months the Red Army was thrown back behind the Urals and the Allies had to sign the peace treaty with Germany…

6 years later. Karl Stolz, a young but most professional saboteur of a German resistance detachment “Night Front”, by a strange accident is taken prisoner by Nazis and is put into Berlin psychiatric hospital. When Karl regains his consciousness he remembers that he’s been subjected to a strange test in the hospital, he doesn’t remember the any details of this test but its effect on his body is strange and terrible. In a while a head doctor of the hospital Dr. Lenz unexpectedly helps him to get free and Karl has the opportunity to escape. When he returns to the headquarters and informs about the experiments a leader of the resistance forces Kurt Norman notifies the Allies about the accident. In response they send their experts and insist on investigation of the purposes of the experiments. The more Karl gets absorbed in the events the more he understands that they have some mysterious implication…

The concept of the game is described by three words – availability, spectacular and variety. This means - availability of the interface and simplicity of the game, spectacular visual images and variety of the game process.

  • The unique and found only in this game property is the opportunity to choose the type of the script before the game – realistic or fantastic. In first case nothing unreal appears in the game, and it is the threat of the nuclear war the characters will fight with. In second case the script contains some fantastic features, e.g.: the main characters turns into a monster and travels in time.
  • One of the most important manifestations of variety concept in the game is nonlinear running of nearly every level of the game. This nonlinearity is realized with the help of the original concept of decision-making. On every level, at the most unexpected moment something happens that demands immediate and sensible decision. To take this decision the character is given 10-15 seconds, otherwise, the game will make this decision. This decision will determine the whole course of the game on the level.
  • The original development of Burut company, fundamentally new play system and main distinction of out game. What we called “The emotion engine Liv Kristine” is in fact a system of positive and negative bonuses and related effects that reacts to the player’s actions and stimulates the emotions of the main character. In certain conditions the main characters during several seconds feels different emotions – panic, hatred, fury, despair, inspiration, and helplessness. And at that time the character gains some special abilities – positive or negative, depending on the emotion he has. The conditions in which the character the emotions occur usually are the crucial points of the game, when the character shows his skill or want of skill. So, Liv Kristine is the system of rewards for a good game and penalties for a bad one, which, in its turn, gives some additional stimulation to the game. Besides, the emotions are accompanied by special graphical effects, which adds still more variety to the visual picture.
  • Various gameplay – from pursuit in cars and skirmish to shadowing and diversion.
  • Completely interactive game world, based on the new, created especially for this game physical engine. It supplies a number of physical effects, such as strength and power to break up, interaction with them, influence on objects of exterior powers, falling according to natural trajectory, resilience of substances. The physical engine enables the player to interact with nearly every object of the surrounding world. Most objects can be moved or destroyed. Things can be moved by bullets and air blast, they fall down as they do in real life and on the whole they have their natural physical properties. All characters` bodies are made according the “rag doll” principle.
  • More than 30 unique characters – from violent lunatics and prisoners of the concentration camp to guards of the secret SS order - are the integral part of 9 big levels. Besides, there are characters that are neither friendly nor hostile for the player.
  • The simple role system that doesn’t use any digital values but including twenty skills. Every time one can start the game as a different character.
  • Nearly about twenty samples of weapon, that never existed in the world or which existence is proved by the history along with several kinds of ammunition and different pierces of equipment will give an opportunity to destroy the enemy.
  • About 70% of levels involve joint actions together with other member of the diversionary group of rebels, and as a rule not as a commander-in-chief but as a soldier. The player cannot give orders to his partners, treat them, swap weapons; on the contrary, he constantly gets his orders from the leader of the group. To succeed the player has to take into account actions of his partners, shield them and make common cause with them. The player cannot shoot at his partner, and if he kills him accidentally (for example, with a grenade), the game is over.
  • The original multi-user mode.
  • Properly advanced graphical engine X-TEND.
  • System of scene visualization based on modern facilities of DirectX 9.0:
    • Pixel and vertext shader
    • Parts system
    • Pixel-be-pixel light
    • Texturing using maps
    • Projection texture, superimposed on all game objects including dynamic ones.
    • Skeleton animation (up to 120 “bones” per character, fingers, lips, eyes animation)
    • Tree-dimensional laminated fog
    • Shadow making with help of stencil buffer
    • Up to 5000 polygons in a model
  • Realistic algorithm of enemies` artificial intelligence
  • Realistic physical processes, clashes and explosions
  • Complex level design
  • Advanced sound engine, compatible with most sound maps.
  • Ambient sounds
  • Surround sound effects

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